Fish Crisis!

[NewFishKeeper]

Any advice on this one would be very much appreciated.

I have 180L Tank, fully cycled levels at

Ammonia:- 0

Nitrite:- 0

Nitrate:- 10 (Not long since last water change)

I have the following fish:

2 Clown Loach
6 Neon Tetras
6 RummyNose Tetras
2 Dwarf Puffer Fish
2 Dwarf Suckermouth Catfish
1 Bristlenose Catfish
4 Tiger Barbs
3 Green Tiger Barbs

All has been fine, went through a small Nitrite nightmare a few weeks ago now, but all has been settled and figures stable since.

I came in from work today to find one of my Dwarf Suckermouth Catfish dead. There was no warning, nothing.
Looking further around the tank, I notice that today my Loaches are not looking too clever either. One very listless, the other just notquite himself.

We have been having some problems with algae, nothing too excessive, which was what my LFS advised buying the Suckermouth Catfish for, and they had really broken the back of it.

Looking frantically through the various books we have decided to go for an Anti Internal Bacteria treatment hoping it might do some good, and couldn't do any harm.

If anyone can offer any advice, I'd be VERY grateful.

Thank you in advance


NFK


"Mad as a Mooing Fish"

 

[glasstapper]

"frantically" will not improve anything first take a deep breath how mature is the tank? did you stock it all at one time? what type of filters? please dont "decide "to do anything untill you figure out what the problem is you may very well compound the problem, or start others, patience is not a virtue in fish keeping it is a neccesity

 

[tropicalman]

The first thing I'd do is a pwc of up to 50%. There may be something in the tank or filter that you can't test for. Give the gravel a good vacuum while you're at it. I'd also rinse off any solids that may have accumulated in the filter. I once lost an entire tank of Discus because a visitor's child managed to put a pistachio nut in the filter. I found it too late to save the fish. Nothing should be ruled out. I had a friend whose wife thought she was helping by cleaning the aquarium glass. Unfortunately she inadvertently sprayed some cleaner into the tank.
Partial water changes should be your first line of defense IMHO.

 

[Cafe Jeff]

When changing the water, make sure to test the incoming water too. They're using huge amounts of Chloramine here in Toronto and I don't feel that the dechlorinators can hit it in the same way that they do Chlorine. Jeff
(From experience.)

 

[NewFishKeeper]

The crisis continues.

My tank is about 8 weeks old, and no it wasn't stocked all at once. Gradually added the fish. Final ones (Rummynose) went in last Saturday.

I have come home this evening, and treated the guys to some Red Mosquito Larve to try and tempt them all out into the open water so I can have a good look at them.

Both Clown Loach came out, and their situation is not good, they both have very red gills (along with some of the tetras) and both have white lumps on their noses. It looks very much like the pictures of Hole In The Head, but all the books I have say that it is very uncommon in the type of fish I have. Now the worst part of all, the Clown Loach who was very listless it seems have virtually lost alll of his left Pectoral Fin. It doesn't look like the pictures of FinRot, it looks almost like it has shrivelled up.

I spoke to my LFS manager today, who advised we buy "Protozin" put the Carbon filter back in for 24 hours (to get rid of the other treatment) and then treat the tank with that.

I don't know what is best, all my fish are getting worse, and I have no clue what to do.

Thank you for all your help

NFK

 

[NewFishKeeper]

A sad end

Hi guys,

Well, after all my efforts at trying to cure my Clown Loach, using all the advice that I had, I lost them both.

It has been a very sad time for me, as I do not know to this day what killed them. Because of this, I am unsure as to whether I should restock, as I do not know whether I still have any nasties in my tank that I don't know about.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

 

[Guest]

sorry for your loss, loss of fins and white lumps sounds like some kind of a nasty virus I have read about...I don't remember what it was called but like all viruses, it is not curable...when you buy new fish I would suggest isolating them in a hospital tank & watch their behaviour for 2 weeks to make sure they are not sick and then add them to a community tank. Also live foods can carry diseases.